Week Four Observations

On February 10th, we were taken throughout THB and got to see (semi) firsthand what goes on with the mechanical systems.  Unfortunately, due to various mishaps we were barred from going below ground and seeing all of the mechanical systems, so we had to make do with the various ducts and pipes throughout the building.

With the knowledge that all of the behind-the-scenes machinery was responsible for doing the work to pump air throughout the building, we began on the ground floor to observe the largest air ducts, which run from the basement all the way to the ceiling and then run the length of the building.  While on the ground floor, we observed a vent-like apparatus that lined the bottom of the large glass windows.  This apparatus serves to heat up the cold air that sits at the bottom of the window, in turn causing a large "envelope" to rise up the window and seal out the cold air.  I thought that was pretty neat.

Heading back up to the third floor, we went down to the south end of the building to see the intake duct at its largest alongside the two outtake ducts.  The two outtake ducts remain the same size throughout the whole building with vents placed periodically along their length to remove stale air from the building.  The intake duct, however, starts out at the same length as the other two, but gradually gets smaller as more of the air is released into the building.  Alongside this intake duct there are several electronic units, each controlled by a computer, that regulate the temperature of the air coming from the intake duct.  We observed several copper coils that wind through the device which are capable of heating up the air just before it is released to the room.

We followed the intake duct from the south side of building back to the north side of the building, observing the thinning of the intake duct as more air was dispersed throughout the building.  From the south side we returned to the ground level to see professor hinders' office, where the intake valves were rather tiny.  These offices themselves rarely require the air from the ducts because of the sunlight that they receive throughout the day, serving to naturally heat the room.

The last stop on our tour was a quick view of the outside, where we saw the large vents through which all of the air for the building is taken.  It was literally a large hole just outside the building, and I thought it was quite interesting that such an ingenious system could be made to seem so simple.  From the outside we also observed how the building's design is used to call attention to this air duct system, as the large ducts that run the length of the building are clearly observed from outside and serve to frame the building.

Week Four was super exciting!  Each week is better than the last!!!!!!